I Love Christmas. The tree, decorations, stockings, presents, carols, turkey, and cranberry sauce—the whole holiday season, really. I could go on. It’s a joy to plan it, it’s a pleasure to do it, and it is all so much fun. But I haven’t always been the best about sticking to a holiday budget.
Although I love Christmas, credit card companies are my favorite holiday. Please send me. I would work my way through the season, and then have to live with the debt. The holiday spending I made would have a lasting impact on my life for the next twelve months.
So, when I started using YNAB to budget, I wanted my annual holiday shopping debt to be stopped once and for all.
Building a Better Organization Holiday Budget
Here’s how I did it.
Year 1: No Debt, But Still Limping
When I created my YNAB Budget, I made sure there was a Christmas Category. We would set aside a reasonable amount each month to pay for our holiday expenses. Following Rule 2: Embrace Your True ExpensesChristmas, and other non-monthly expenses, fit the bill perfectly.
Rule Two was the only way to get us out of Christmas debt.
We were able to control our Christmas spending more than usual, but underestimated the true cost of Christmas. There was much…
